1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer networks, such as the Internet, and, in particular, to receiving and storing customized sets of information from various network-based information services.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer networks, such as the Internet, enable users to access an almost unlimited amount of information. Web browsers, network search tools, and software agents assist users in locating information available on the Internet.
A personal portal is a network search tool that defines a user profile specifying the information to be collected and the other services requested by the user. For example, a particular user may be interested in the current prices of specific stocks that he owns, the latest scores for his favorite sports teams, his daily horoscope, the weather report for his home town, and his favorite music. For such user, personal portal services are being provided by a number of Internet service providers. When a user of a personal portal accesses his/her personal portal, the Internet service provider then automatically accesses the latest information from various sources and presents this information to the user.
Traditional web portals allow users to specify customized sets of information in user profiles. They provide little flexibility, however, in selecting the format for such information. The customized information is usually presented to the users only as a computer display in a predefined composite format.